3Y0 Bouvet Island Activation Planned

Three proven and experienced DXpedition leaders and a large team of operators have announced plans to activate Bouvet Island (Bouvetøya), the number 2 most-wanted DXCC entity in late 2017 or early 2018. Ralph Fedor, K0IR, Bob Allphin, K4UEE and Erling Wiig, LA6VM, have been working on this project since returning from Peter I (3Y0X) some 10 years ago.

“We are making this announcement now, so that other DXpedition teams that may be considering Bouvet as a DXpedition target can redirect their time and effort elsewhere,” the trio said in a news release.

The team has an agreement with R/V Braveheart skipper Nigel Jolly, K6NRJ, to provide transportation, a helicopter, pilot, and mechanic. The group’s preliminary plan, submitted to the Norwegian Polar Institute, has been accepted, and a permit will be issued to land on Slakhallet — a huge glacier that covers the volcanic island.

A dependency of Norway, Bouvet is a subantarctic island in the South Atlantic.

Among them, the Bouvet DXpedition leaders hold 11 DXpedition of the Year awards, have activated a dozen Top 10 DXCC entities, and amassed huge contact totals during their most recent DXpeditions, such as Desecheo (118,000), HK0NA (195,000), FT5ZM (170,000), and K1N (140,000). A website is under development.

The last Bouvet activation was 3Y0E during a scientific expedition over the winter of 2007-2008. Petrus Kritzinger, ZS6GCM, was the DXpedition operator.

An activation from Bouvet Island that occurred in January 2001 was a surprise to the DX community. Dr Chuck Brady, N4BQW (SK), a retired NASA astronaut, operated solo as 3Y0C from Bouvet and got to talk about it at the Dayton DX Dinner a few months later.

Other DXpeditions in the 2016 time frame had been planned and announced but apparently never came together. — Thanks to The Daily DX